Now that Dynamax is banned and the freedom is out there to be more creative as the metagame progresses, I wanted to share a team that I built that has been pretty successful so far. Grass has more options than people think this generation, and I believe it will be a solid anti-meta pick, following in the footsteps of Grass's rise towards the end of the Gen 7 meta.
The Team:
John Bonham (Rillaboom) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Overgrow
Happiness: 160
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Wood Hammer / Drum Beating
- Earthquake / Superpower
- Knock Off
The Team:
John Bonham (Rillaboom) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Overgrow
Happiness: 160
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Wood Hammer / Drum Beating
- Earthquake / Superpower
- Knock Off
After toying around with Choice Band and Substitute Bulk Up variants of Rillaboom, I eventually settled on Choice Scarf because of the usefulness it provides in multiple matchups. U-Turn is a solid pivoting move that really helps in the Grass mirror, Psychic, and Dark matchups, and is just useful to have overall. Wood Hammer is high damage Grass STAB. Drum Beating can probably be used if you want to avoid the recoil and desire the speed drop it gives opponents, but losing out on the power of Wood Hammer seems less than ideal to me. Earthquake and Superpower are both good options that are interchangeable based on what matchups you are trying to beat. I personally prefer Earthquake because Poison is a more winnable matchup than Steel is for Grass at the moment. Knock Off provides great utility and also is invaluable in the Psychic and Ghost matchups.
Cabbage (Ferrothorn) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spikes / Stealth Rocks
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Gyro Ball
Yeah, I know it's the same EV spread and moveset as all the Grass Ferrothorns from Gen 7. Guess what? It's still really good. I know that Ferrothorn is Grass's only currently available Stealth Rocker (save us Celebi!) but I prefer Spikes this generation for a number of reasons. The first is the introduction of Heavy-Duty Boots. With x4 weak mons such as Charizard and Frosmoth now utilizing this item, Stealth Rock loses some appeal. The decline of Flying and rareness of Fire and Bug also is a factor. Because Spikes can be stacked, I find it more useful in matchups like Ghost, Dragon, Poison, and really any matchup that is not weak to Stealth Rocks. Yeah, Ice still exists, but finding opportunities to set rocks versus ice is hard anyways, especially when most of the time I'd rather just Gyro Ball to kill the Mamoswine or Frosmoth in front of me before I take too much damage. Leech Seed + Protect is still good and annoying to play against and protect scouting is very nice this generation with all of the Dragapults and Dracovishes (plural??) and Darmanitans running around. Gyro Ball hits fast things and hard, and also means that Ferrothorn isn't uber passive.
Portage Pie (Appletun) @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 204 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leech Seed
- Apple Acid
- Protect
- Recover
This is my new favorite Grass mon. I love it to death. Thick Fat + Dragon secondary typing means that Grass actually has a fire resist this generation. It's so good against Fire that it can almost 6-0 Fire teams on its own (replays are available upon request). This synergizes incredibly well with Ferrothorn, especially with the death of Hidden Power. The ability to switch in to fire moves such as Choice Specs Dragapult's Fire Blast that have been scouted for with Protect is amazing. Heck, with this double Protect scouting tactic (get it, because Gorilla Tactics? Sorry, I'll see myself out), I can actually play around Darmanitan. Ferrothorn takes Icicle Crash and kills with Gyro Ball, and Appletun tanks Flare Blitz like a champion. These two cover each other's weaknesses incredibly well, and can often times run the whole show in some matchups, like Ghost. Apple Acid is a surprisingly strong (80 BP on a 100 Base SpAtk mon) STAB move that drops the target's Special Defense, which means that Appletun can whittle down opposing walls if needed. Leech Seed provides invaluable chip + recovery, and Recover is a must on any wall that has access to it. 48 Defense allows Appletun to avoid the 2HKO from Choice Banded Dracovish's Ice Fang, although I'm told that Ice Fang is outdated and not really used, so I may need to tweak the EV spread some. 4 EVs in Speed (KaChow!) allow me to outspeed other base 30s, namely Corsola. The rest is invested in Special Defense to further cover Ferrothorn's weaknesses.
Alice uWu (Whimsicott) (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Encore
- Moonblast
Whimsicott is the glue of this team. Prankster Encores and Substitutes allow me to shut down any set-up attempts, and Leech Seed in conjunction with Substitute is still annoying for the opponent. Substitute + Leech Seed works very well for Whimsicott because its low base HP stat (60) means it can recover proportionally more health against most mons and this have more health for more Substitutes. Prankster Substitute can also act as a way of scouting and for stalling out the PP or health of a Pokemon that is faster. Encore is a must because it means that the opponent cannot blindly try to Dragon Dance or Clangorous Soul or Bulk Up etc. Oftentimes, Whimsicott will have to be brought in on a hard read to catch the opponent setting up, but hey, life isn't easy. Moonblast is powerful STAB that eats Dragon and Dark types and allows Whimsicott to just hit something if needed. This team wouldn't be the same without Whimsicott, and I consider it a staple for Gen 8 Grass at this point.
Badflower (Roserade) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Natural Cure
Happiness: 160
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb
- Dazzling Gleam / Shadow Ball
- Extrasensory
- Energy Ball / Leaf Storm
Even with the death of Hidden Power and thus Technician on Roserade being uttlery useless now, I think it has a spot on a lot of Grass teams because of its high-ish Speed and good Special Attack, and excellent movepool. And yes, before you yell at me, I know I have two Choice Scarfers and neither is named Rotom-Mow. Deal with it. Roserade is a bit faster with better Special Attack, and with Flying not being relevant, I find Choice Scarf Rotom to be unnecessary. Sludge Bomb is STAB that can Poison and runs through Fairy teams, which is a big reason why I opted to run Scarf. Dazzling Gleam runs through Dragon teams and can revenge kill Dragapult on Ghost. Shadow Ball is an option, but I prefer Dazzling Gleam because Ghost is very winnable even without Shadow Ball and Dazzling Gleam makes the Dragon matchup much more winnable. Extrasensory is basically only there for the Poison matchup, but between this and Scarf EQ Rillaboom, Poison has trouble switching around, especially if one of Drapion or Weezing dies. Energy Ball is secondary STAB, but Leaf Storm could be used if more damage is desired. I haven't come across any instance yet where I would prefer Leaf Storm, but it is most definitely a viable option. Having a grounded Poison type is also great for soaking up any Toxic Spikes that come my way.
John Deere (Rotom-Mow) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Trick
- Thunderbolt
- Leaf Storm
- Volt Switch
Last and (maybe) least is Choice Specs (!!!) Rotom-Mow. There is rarely an opportunity that I feel like Substitute Nasty Plot would be better because of how this team is built. However, I wanted to run Rotom-Mow to ensure that I could beat Water every time and threaten any Flying teams, however rare they may be. The immediate damage is very nice, and being able to throw out great chip damage with Specs boosted Volt Switches opens the door for a revenge kill by Rillaboom or Roserade later. Sometimes the opponent will assume that I am Scarf, and misplay because of that. However, that is a rare occurrence. The moveset is pretty explanatory, you all know what those moves do and why I would run them. Although unorthodox, I feel that Choice Specs is underrated and synergizes well with the two Scarfers I employ.
Weaknesses:
- Steel Teams - I'll admit: this team sucks versus steel. However, that is by design. I have decided that Steel is by far the hardest matchup for Grass this generation. I built this team in mind to be competitive versus other types such as Dragon, Poison, Ghost, Fairy, and Psychic at the cost of a nearly impossible Steel matchup. It can be done, but don't expect much of a fight.
- Non Choice-Locked Pokemon With Coverage - While not seen too often, something like Sub Nasty Plot Hydreigon, Sub Toxic Protect Flamethrower Salazzle, Life Orb Gengar, and Hatterene all pose threats to this team because of their ability to threaten both Ferrothorn and Appletun with Super Effective moves. Oftentimes, I am forced to sack something and bring in Rillaboom or Roserade, which could be walled by another member of their team.
- Bug Teams - Although rare, Bug teams are annoying to face with this team, especially those featuring Centiskorch. Most of the time Ferrothorn can take care of most of the Bug mons, but having to play around Centiskorch can be infuriating.
- Ferrothorn - Ironically, one of this team's greatest strengths is also one of its greatest weaknesses. Your best bet is to stack Spikes and Knock Off its Leftovers with Rillaboom, unless you are running Superpower.
- Set Up Sweepers - If Whimsicott is dead or severely damaged, or maybe you are just playing poorly, set up sweepers can really run this team through the gauntlet. You have to be one step ahead of the game at all times with your Whimsicott play to prevent something like a Sub Nasty Plot Hydreigon or Shell Smash Polteageist from sweeping your team.
Brief Matchup Thoughts:
- Grass Mirror - Kill the Ferrothorn and let Roserade run away with Sludge Bomb. If you don't kill Ferrothorn, you won't win. Estimated 70% win rate.
- Water - Use Rotom-Mow to its fullest here. Even with Water being powerful this generation, there is still no reason to lose this. Estimated 95% win rate.
- Fire - Not as bad as a matchup as it seems on first glance. Appletun walls a whole lot of things. Roserade and Rillaboom can clean up. Estimated 65% win rate.
- Normal - Leech Seed all the things! Indeedee is a big threat, but if you can get past that it should be a win. Estimated 65% win rate.
- Fighting - Whimsicott and Roserade just have a field day here. Rillaboom and Rotom-Mow also do solid work here. Estimated 90% win rate.
- Flying - Annoying matchup, but not terrible. Don't be stupid with Rotom and Roserade and you should find a victory. Estimated 70% win rate.
- Poison - If they have Salazzle, you're probably gonna lose. If they don't, Rillaboom and Roserade + Spikes support eventually wear them down. Estimated 70% win rate non-Salazzle, 20% win rate otherwise.
- Ground - Literally every mon on the team other than Whimsicott and Ferrothorn can spam super effective Grass STAB to victory. Estimated 85% win rate.
- Rock - See Ground, but now Ferrothorn has super effective STAB also! Estimated 95% win rate.
- Bug - It's a toss up. If they don't have Centiskorch, Ferrothorn wreaks havoc. If they do, it gets trickier, especially with webs. Estimated 75% win rate non-Centiskorch, 45% otherwise.
- Ghost - Appletun + Ferrothorn really give Ghost a hard time. Set up Spikes so that Rillaboom or Roserade can clean later. Estimated 80% win rate.
- Steel - LOL good luck. Maybe trick the Ferrothorn and kill Excadrill so that Rotom can beat Corviknight? Estimated 15% win rate.
- Electric - Boltund is the only true threat. Just be wary of Life Orb sets. Rillaboom goes in here and Appletun + Ferrothorn wall a bunch of things. Estimated 85% win rate.
- Psychic - Scarf Rillaboom is huge here. However, Hatterene and Indeedee are MASSIVE threats. Kill ASAP, and then the rest of the way is easier, but still difficult because GameFreak gave Mystical Fire to a whole lotta Psychic mons. Estimated 55% win rate.
- Ice - Protect scout the Darmanitan and switch accordingly. Make sure Ferrothorn is healthy enough to always live an Icicle Crash. An easier matchup than it first seems. Estimated win rate 70%.
- Dragon - Protect scout the Choice locked mons and let Whimsicott and Roserade do their thing. Estimated 70% win rate.
- Dark - Watch out for Hydriegon! The rest aren't all that difficult to deal with. Whimsicott, Roserade, and Rillaboom are all great here. Estimated 75% win rate.
- Fairy - Kill Hatterene ASAP. Get some chip so that Roserade can kill and then let Roserade kill pretty much everything else. Beware of faster scarfers: play it safe. Estimated 80% win rate.
And that's my RMT essay. I wish I was this motivated to do essays that actually matter in life like college applications LOL. Feel free to leave thoughts and comments, especially regarding Appletun's EV spread. Merry Christmas and all that jazz, and thanks for reading!
>
